I went through Army basic when I was 23 and it was hard enough, especially the marching. Got a âmarch fractureâ and âshin splintsâ by forcing a longer stride than my 5’7â frame allowed. Got bronchitis but got to ride to the firing range for a couple weeks until that cleared up; then incurred significant hearing loss in my left ear by being forced to fire a M-1 Garand rifle without ear protection(I protected the right ear by pressing it against the stock of the rifle). In those days (1961) the Army apparently considered you a sissy if you wanted to protect your hearing. I tried cotton in my ears but Sargent on range told me to remove it. No way could I have gone through all that at age 55.
Did you get any disability for hearing loss? I got 10% for type 2 diabetes. They claimed agent orange in Vietnam contributed to it.